Study ranks SEC college towns by population size for 2025

Yahoo Sports has published a ranking of the 16 SEC college towns based on their population as estimated for July 1, 2025. Austin, Texas, home to the University of Texas, tops the list with a population of 1,002,632, followed by Nashville, Tennessee, which hosts Vanderbilt University with a population of 721,074. Other notable towns include Lexington, Kentucky, and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, highlighting how the SEC features a mix of larger cities and smaller towns. The rankings aim to illustrate the diversity of environments surrounding these institutions.

• 10:09 AMYahoo Sports — Ranking SEC college towns by population from largest to smallest